Shaver with adjustable rollers



July 11, 1961 R A SOMERS ETAL 2,991,554

SHAVER WITH ADJUSTABLE ROLLERS Filed Jan. 1959 j l l 38 3533 37 43 United States Patent' @i 2,991,554 SHAVER WITH ADJUSTABLE ROLLERS Raymond A. Somers, Fairfield, and David R. Locke,

Westport, Conn., assignors to Sperry Rand `Corporation, New York, NX., a corporation of Delaware Filed IIan. 5, 1959, Ser. No. 784,964 7 Claims. (Cl. 30-34) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in electric dry shavers.

The present invention is an improvement on the shaver shown and described in U.S. application Serial Number 580,934, tiled April 26, 1956, now Patent No. 2,880,503, patented April 7, 1959, and entitled Shaver With Rolling Combs.

The present invention provides a construction of shaver in which the distance between the combing roller and the adjacent edge of the cutter element may be set in a predetermined relation by manual operation of an adjusting device so that the user may set the combing rollers in advance for use with beards of different characteristics and can readjust the setting at will. In view of the fact that there are combing rollers at each side of the shaver, the combing roller on one side may be adjusted for use with one type of beard and the roller on the other side may be adjusted for another type of beard if so desired.

The invention provides a shaver construction which will permit the combing rollers to be inserted and removed at will as before, while at the Same time being adjustable in a predetermined manner as above set forth.

In brief and general terms, the invention provides a shaver casing with a movable portion in the form of a frame which is vertically movable and detachably mounts the combing rollers. Manipulable means is associated with the frame to effect the vertical movement of the frame to predetermined vertical positions whereby the adjacency of the combing rollers to the adjacent edge of the cutter element may be varied as desired. Itis also contemplated to provide suitable indicating means in as- Sociation with the manipulable means whereby certain desirable positions of the combing rollers may be visually observable.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a front elevation, partly broken away' of the upper end of the shaver casing, showing the combs in the lowest position;

FIG. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 2 2 of FIG. 4, showing the combs in the highest position;

FIG. 3 is a View of the right hand portion of FIG. 2 showing the combs in their intermediate position;

FIG. 4a is a partial transverse section taken on the line ia-4a of FIG. l;

FIG` 4b is a partial transverse section taken on the line 4b-4b of FIG. l;

FIG. 5 is a partial horizontal section taken on the line 5 5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an exploded isometric view of the elements forming the mechanism for adjusting the comb rollers; and

FIG. 7 is a detail of the manner in which the comb rollers are detachably mounted on the adjustable supporting frame plate.

The present invention aims to provide simple, and efcient means whereby the position of the outermost rollers may be manually adjusted and set in any one of several relative positions with respect to the edges of the cutter elements so as to aiIord more efficient cutting action of said cutter elements with regard to light, medium, and heavy beards. To this end there is provided the usual main casing 10 (FIGS. 4a and 4b) in which the motor is housed and on top of this main portion is suitably mount- 2,991,554 Patented July 11, 1961- ice ed the cutting heads 11 which are preferably detachably mounted in a manner not shown, but well known in the art. The upper portion 12 of the casing may be an integral portion of the main casing 1i) but is herein shown as a removable portion also acting as a hair pocket. This casing portion 12 is provided with side walls 14 and end walls 15 and 16. The side walls 14 are cut down to a lower level as indicated by the number 17 to expose cutter head 11 above this level. The end walls 15 and 16 at their tops 18 are at a higher level substantially flush with the top of the cutter heads 11, as shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b.

The inner faces of the side walls 14 near the upper portions thereof lie in a plane spaced outwardly from the plane of the outer side of the cutter heads as indicated at 19 and a supporting member or -frame plate 20 is slidably engaged with inner faces 19 of the side walls and formed with right-angled end flanges 21 adapted to lie closely adjacent the side wall portions 22. This frame plate 2d is provided at its ends with upstanding ears 23 as integral extensions of the flanges 21. These ear-s 23 are provided with apertures 25 to receive the ends of combing rollers 2d.

As shown in FIG. 7, the combing roller is corrugated land is hollow. At each end therein there is a slidable pin 26 projecting therefrom and backed by a spring 27. The outer end of the pin is reduced in diameter as at 28 and the end of the roller is crimpled inwardly a little as at 29 to limit the outward movement of the pin 26. The end of the pin 26 projects into the aperture 25 in the ear 23 and has an upstanding circular rib 3) formed thereon close to the end to limit the projection of the end of the pin into the aperture. The reduced end 28 of pin 26 has end wall portion 23 on the outer face of rib 30 engaging the end wall at theinner end of aperture 25 formed by ear 23 in limiting movement of reduced end 2S in the aperture. This provides a structure which is quite similar to that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the above mentioned application and permits the combing roller to be readily inserted and removed with respect to the casing includ ing supporting frame plate 20. `It is to be noted that there are other rollers 31 disposed across the top of the casing between the corrugated rollers and between the cutter head sections, as shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b. These rollers are of smooth surface but otherwise the same as the rollers 24 and their ends are projected into suitable apertures in the upper portion 18 of the end walls 15 and 16, as seen in FIG. 1.

The invention provides mechanism whereby the frame plate or supporting member 2@ supporting the combing rollers 24 may be manually adjusted and set on the casing to position the rollers at varying distances with respect to the adjacent edges of the cutter head and skin engaging face thereon. This is desired to facilitate the cutting of varying types of light, medium, and heavy beards. To this end frame plate 20 is provided with a central rectangular opening 32 at opposite sides of which are located inclined slots 33. The walls 14 of upper casing 12 are provided with elongate central openings 34 and slots 35 disposed beyond opposite ends of openings 34. These openings 34 are alined with openings 32 in frame plate 20 and openings 35 are alined or positioned to register with inclined siots 33 in frame plate Z0, as clearly seen in FIG. 6.

In order to move frame plate 20 up and down as desired, there is provided a manipulable element such as the operating members or slide plates 36'one disposed against the outer face of each of the side walls 14 of the upper casing portion 12. The slide plate 36 is provided on the inner upper side portion with an inwardly projecting T-shaped tongue 37 centrally disposed thereon and inwardly projecting pins 38 at opposite sides of the tongue l 2,991,554 l W i A" A j 37. The tongue 37 is in line with the openings 32 and 34 and the pins 38 are respectively in line with the openings 35 and the slots 33. When the frame plate 20 is disposed against the inner face 19 of the easing Wall 14 and the slide plate 36 is disposed against the adjacent outer face of the casing wall 14, the head of tongue 37 extends through opening 32 slightly beyond the inner face of frame plate 28, as seen in FiG. 5. In order to hold these parts in this relation there is provided a latch or spring plate 39 which has a central rectangular opening 40 and elongate openings 4l on opposite sides ci the opening 40. The spring plate 39 is normally held in curved relation under tension against plate 20, as shown in FIG. 6, and its ends 42 are reversely curved to provide substantially a line Contact with the back of plate 2% when the spring and the plate are placed together in tensioned relation, as shown in FIG. 5. The spring plate 39 is provided with oiiset lips 43 formed from the upper side portions adjacent opening 49 and are offset toward the adjacent surface of plate 20. When the spring is in assembled relation it is slightly curved with opposite ends offset laterally with respect to their unstressed positions thus creating in the spring a tension which tends to hold plates 29 and 36 in close slidable engagement with the side wall of the casing. In order to apply the spring plate 39, with the slide plate 36 and the frame plate Zi in the relative position on the walls of the casing as shown in FIG. 5, it will be observed that the head of the tongue 37 extends slightly beyond the inner face of the frame plate Ztl, and with the parts in this position, the spring plate 39 is pressed against the back of the frame plate 2t) with the lips 43 initially disposed above the head of the tongue and then the spring plate 39 is forced down so that the lips lie back of the head of the tongue 37. While this is being done the ends of the spring plate are held sprung back to pass down across the ends of the pins 3S and when the lips are in proper place the ends of the spring are allowed to move forward against the back of the frame plate or supporting member 20 and the pins 38 will enter the openings 41. Because of the tension in the spring plate 39 the parts are held in close relationship and therefore the slide plate 36 can be moved across the face of the casing wall with enough friction to keep it in any desired adjusted position.

In order to set the slide plate in predetermined positions, the plate 36 is provided with spaced apertures 44 and the walls of the casing are provided with small thin blocks on the surface of which are disposed indicia 46. These are arranged in a slanting relation so that when the lowest of the indicia is seen through apertures 44, the combing rollers are in their lowest position and so on thus giving an instant indication of the position of the rollers. By thus sliding the slide plate across the face of the casing wall the desired position of the combing rollers is eiiected and clearly indicated.

The slide plate is moved horizontally back and forth across the casing as illustrated in FIG. l in adjusting the position of roller 3l. In moving plate 36 from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the right, pins 38 engaging in inclined slots 33 at opposite ends of supporting member 20 cooperate with the side wall 14 of the casing in slots 35 to move member 2b in parallel relation to the casing upwardly. The roller will also be moved upwardly in parallel relation to the skin contacting face of the adjacent shaver head. rl`his construction provides for some sliding movement of supporting member 2G up and down on the side wall of the casing while spring plate 39 provides suicient friction to hold the plate in adjusted position in cooperation with the inclined slots and pins i8.

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric dry shaver comprising a casing, a cutter element having an outer skin contacting face mounted on said casing, said casing having a side wall extending along the outer side of said cutter element and spaced outwardly therefrom, a supporting member having one face 4 movably engaging the inner face of said side wall, a combing roller rotatably mounted on said supporting member for relative movement therewith toward and from said outer skin contacting face, and adjustable means engaging the outer face of said side wall and connected to said supporting member through said side wall for moving said supporting member into any one of a plurality of diiferent fixed positions on and relative to said side wall and said cutter element by the movement of said means into diierent fixed positions on said side wall.

2. A shaver comprising a casing, a cutter element having an outer skin contacting face mounted on said casing, a supporting member movably mounted on and engaging an inner side wall portion, on said casing and having a skin engaging member on the outer end thereof for relative movement therewith toward and from said outer skin contacting face, and manually operable means slidably engaged on the outer face of said side wall of said casing and connected to said supporting member through said wall for adjusting the position of said supporting member on the side wall of said casing to position said skin engagng member in a desired position relative to said cutter element and outer skin contacting face when said means is moved to corresponding desired positions on said side wall portions.

3. A shaver comprising a casing, a cutter element having an outer skin contacting face mounted on said casing, said casing having a wall portion positioned outwardly beyond a side of said cutter element, a skin engaging member having a plate portion having one face slidably engaging and supported on the inside face of said wall portion in outwardly spaced relation from the side of said cutter element and having a skin engaging portion spaced from said wall portion and said side of said cutter' element, operating means having portions movably engaging said casing and engaged with said plate portion, and a member slidably engaging the outer face of said wall portion of said casing connected to said operating means operable for positively adjusting the position of the skin engaging portion of said skin engaging member through cooperation with said wall portion toward, and from said outer skin contacting face of said cutter element and retaining said skin engaging member xed in adjusted position.

4. The invention of claim 3 in which there is a spring means connected to the plate and the manipulable member to hold them in frictional engagement with their respective casing walls whereby the plate will remain in any predetermined adjusted position.

5. A shaver comprising a casing having a side wall formed with inner and outer surfaces, a cutter element having an outer skin contacting face mounted on said casing and a side portion spaced inwardly from the plane of said inner face of said side wall, a skin engaging member having a plate portion with one face slidably engaged various positions relative to said skin contacting face of said cutter elements.

, 6. In a shaver having a casing and a cutter element disposed thereon, the invention which comprises a comb roller, a movable plate supporting said roller, said plate having one face disposed against the inner wall of the casing, a manipulable member disposed against the outer wall of the casing, and means carried by said manipulable member extending throughaper'tures in said casing and movable plate and connecting said plate and manipulable member to'move the plate vertically to adjust the posi- 5 tion of the roller when the member is manipulated, and said means being formed to retain said plate in adjusted position on said casing.

7. In a shaver having a casing and a cutter element disposed thereon, the invention which comprises a comb roller, a movable plate supporting said roller, said casing having a recess on an inner wall in which said plate is disposed for movement, a manipulable plate disposed for movement against the outer Wall of said casing opposite said recess, said plate and the casing wall having alined 10 2,749,613

6 apertures, certain apertures in the plate taking the form of sloping slots, pins on the manipulable member extending through the wall into said sloping slots whereby the movement of the manipulable member will cause the plate to move in one direction or another to position the roller comb as desired.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Miller L June 12, 1956 

